It’s no mystery that trade exhibitions are one of the most critical business growth avenues. They are an excellent venue for displaying new items and attracting potential consumers, not to mention the benefits of interacting with your customers directly. They are also among the most expensive line items in advertising budgets, necessitating the development of a trade show plan that creates quality leads, increases the sales funnel, and drives revenue.
While digital marketing is quite popular nowadays, expos are still an efficient and low-cost technique to reach customers. In addition to recruiting new consumers, it may improve client retention and acquisition. Your direct mail campaign’s success is determined not only by your ideas but also by how you implement them. Participating in a trade fair is not a choice to be made lightly. It should be guaranteed that your brand is genuinely competitive and that you have the financial stability to invest in not only one but numerous areas in order to establish a solid relationship with potential customers. Here are some pointers to follow to ensure that your money is effectively spent and that you get a positive return on your investment in 2023.
Plan and prep
Plan and prepare for the trade fair several months ahead of time, with your marketing and sales teams cooperating to align goals, define targets, designate funding for events, and implement any other strategies you have in place to ensure a profitable trade season run. On your prep list, action items should include things like securing strategically significant trade show platform real estate, developing eye-catching collateral, planning exciting gifts in addition to stationary and magnets for fridge, and monitoring leads and how to allocate them.
Understand your ideal customer
It is critical to determine the correct sort of consumer for your company. Determine your customer’s market and category. Are you looking for a buyer for a home or a lifestyle? Do you wish to get in touch with a Home Décor buyer? Interested in purchasing Personal Accessories? Buyer of fragrance? What is their selling price? Are they opulent? Mainstream? What business do you wish to sell to wholesale, giant retailers, or tiny mum-and-pop shops?
Offer new customers anything to remember you by
In addition to gifting on-brand things, you may go a step further and give away items that are both entertaining and useful. Handy trinkets, like fridge magnets with 2023 calendars or local sports team schedules, notepads, and the like, are more helpful and memorable and will be preserved rather than discarded. For a low cost, a printing firm like ours allows you to create everything from customised magnetic business cards to notebooks.
Consider your booth display
Depending on your requirements, trade exhibitions offer various packages. As per your budget, several inventive methods exist to improve your display’s appearance. Do not crowd the booth. Make it appealing for consumers to enter and easy for them to view what you have to offer.
Know your co-participants
Knowing which firms will be sending representatives to the event ahead of time may be beneficial. Refer to the event’s public RSVP website, or ask whether the event’s host is prepared to provide you with a list. If not, look through their social media page to see who has committed to participating in the event. Then think of something innovative to do with that knowledge. If you’re a B2B firm that sells to a variety of sectors and sees that one industry dominates the attendance list, create something that will primarily attract the interest of folks in that industry.
Add CTA (call to action) in your trade give
Like every marketing effort, the finest ideas result in campaigns with a clear call to action. Make your text simple and convincing, and focus on the action you would like the receiver to take. Make your CTA stand out by bolding the typefaces or boxing it in and positioning it in the centre of your postcard or mailer. It’s also critical to make things simple—give your consumers a single location to learn more about your company or receive a discount.
Distribute on-brand items
Sending branded things to clients keeps your company front of mind and makes the brand more recognisable. Be inventive with your ideas. Toy businesses, for example, may give branded paper aircraft, bookstores could provide bookmarks, and bakers could send personalised pastry shaped magnets imprinted with their logo. This will generate an initial favourable impact and maintain their brand at the forefront of their thoughts.
Connect with your audience
To make the most of your marketing presence at an event, you must first publicise that you will have a representation ahead of time. Create material about the event and your presence there in the lead up to it, and aim to set up meetings with prospects who could be interested in your product or service and would benefit from seeing you in person at the event.
Always begin with a goal in mind for your campaign so that you can stay on track. There can be no comparison of what face-to-face meetings, informal interactions in the corridors, or brief chats over meals can accomplish for your company during trade exhibits. Be wholly prepared and one step ahead of your competitors as you plan and strategy for future in-person and hybrid events. Connect with our team to get a quote or know more.
